What should you do at the scene of an accident?
You must do the things set out below as soon as possible at the scene of an accident. You must also give the appropriate information to any police officer who is present at the scene of the accident. It is an offence to give false or misleading information. Remember that you also have a right to get this information from other drivers or riders involved in the accident.
You do not have work out who is to blame for the accident at this stage. You also do not need to make or accept any offers of payment for damage caused.
Stop
You must stop immediately after you have had an accident, no matter how minor it may seem.
Assist
If you are driving a car or riding a motorcycle that is involved in an accident, you have a legal obligation to stop and to give any assistance which you are capable of giving to anyone who has been killed or injured in the accident. This is required by the law, regardless of whether the accident was your fault or not.
If you deliberately fail to stop, or give assistance, after an accident where someone has been killed or seriously injured, you could be fined heavily or even imprisoned. Even if no-one has been killed or injured, you could still be fined or imprisoned for failing to stop after an accident. If you are a P-plate driver, your licence will automatically be suspended.
Remove debris
If you are the driver of a vehicle that has been involved in an accident, you should try to remove anything that has fallen from your vehicle on to the road that may cause injury or damage to other people or vehicles.
If you are unable to do this because of injuries you have suffered in the accident, then the person who removes your vehicle from the scene will be responsible for clearing the debris.
Reporting an accident
If you are a driver involved in an accident, you must report it as soon as possible to the police station nearest the scene of the accident:
- If someone has been killed or injured, and the police have not been called to the scene, or
- If property (including an animal) has been damaged or destroyed and neither the owner of the property (nor a representative of the owner) nor the police are at the scene of the accident.
If someone has been killed or injured in an accident, you must also report. Under Regulation 138 of the Northern Territory Traffic Regulations, any crash which results in death, injury or property damage must be reported to Police.
Call the police
The police do not always have to be called to the scene of an accident. However, they should be called if someone has been injured or killed.
Give and get details
If you are a driver or rider involved in an accident in which someone has been injured or any property (including an animal) has been damaged or destroyed, you have a legal obligation to give the injured person or the owner of the property (or their representative):
- Your name and address;
- The registration number of your vehicle; and
- The name and address of the person who owns the vehicle (if you are not the owner).
